The inventive subject matter disclosed herein relates to an apparatus and system for sanitizing home brewing equipment such as large bottles and tubing. In particular, the inventive subject matter relates to an apparatus, system, and method that allows for conveniently cleaning kegs, for example a Cornelius Keg or Carboy, and tubing associated with the home brewing of fermented beverages.
Several beverages are frequently brewed at home, such as beer, wine, cider, mead, ginger ale, sake, etc. Every successful home brewer and professional brewer will tell that sanitation is the key to success. For example, making beer consists of growing yeast in a medium very favorable to micro organisms, such as malted barley. Contamination by other microorganisms must be strictly guarded against. Brewing beer involves using large containers and long hoses. Before the beer is clarified, the solution in the container and tubes will have sediments of inactive yeast and other residues. These items are particularly difficult to clean and sterilize. Currently, chemicals and chlorine bleach are used to sterilize these items. For storing home brewed beer, kegging is recommended over storing in individual bottles. Kegs are more convenient to clean and store than individual bottles, and carbonation levels can be easily adjusted in larger kegs. By far the most common system used by home brewers for draft beer is the 5-gallon soda canister, originally manufactured by the Cornelius Company (Annoka, Minn.). Though other companies also make similar models, the style is usually referred to as a Cornelius or “Corny” keg. These stainless steel canisters were developed and used to distribute premixed soda for common restaurant dispensers. The keg shape, capacity, and fittings are standardized, and over the years millions have been manufactured. Most of the component parts of Corny kegs will contact the beer, so it is extremely important that all parts be properly cleaned and sanitized before use.
Another example of a container that is often used in home brewing is a carboy. It is a glass or plastic vessel used in fermenting beverages. The carboy is a rigid container with a typical capacity of 5 to 15 gallon (19 to 57 Liter). Carboys are used for transporting fluids such as water, chemicals, etc. They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, often wine. In brewing, a carboy is also known as a demijohn. Usually it is fitted with a rubber stopper and a fermentation lock to prevent bacteria and oxygen from entering during the fermentation process. Polypropylene carboys are also commonly used in laboratories to transfer purified water. They are typically filled at the top and have a spigot at the bottom for dispensing.
Cleaning of these containers usually involves a tedious process of soaking, rotating, brushing, and rinsing. Some prior art cleaning equipment attaches to a faucet and allows for a nozzle to be inserted in the keg. For example, a commercially available Spray Wand sold by Homebrewers Outpost (http://www.homebrewers.com/product/4794/Spray_Wand.html). This system does not give the option of spraying the cleaning solution into the bottle and it is unwieldy to use.
Some other keg washers use a submersible pump that is positioned in a bucket. However, these keg washers do not allow direct access by the user to the cleaning solution during use and do not accommodate different sizes of containers in a single design. Moreover, these keg washers include a tubing assembly that is positioned in the bucket where it becomes submerged or drenched with fluid.
None of the existing cleaning systems provides the easy of operation, efficiency, and versatility of the inventive subject matter.
Accordingly there is a need for an apparatus and a system that makes it convenient to sanitize home brewing vessels and tubes. In addition, it provides a convenient and sterile place to temporarily store other items used in the home brewing process.